Rail Lines Raise Visibility Of Officers After Shooting

By JONATHAN RABINOVITZ,

Published: December 24, 1993

GARDEN CITY, L.I., Dec. 23—
The region's three commuter railroads have increased the visibility of the police on trains to ease the minds of travelers in the wake of the shooting this month on a crowded Long Island commuter train.

The Long Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad have put more officers on the trains, railroad spokesmen said today. And New Jersey Transit has ordered officers to be stationed on platforms when trains arrive, and has asked some plainclothes officers to wear uniforms while patrolling the cars, an official said.

The effort is largely intended to calm passengers' fears that the Dec. 7 shooting on the Long Island Rail Road could inspire copycat crimes. Six people were killed in the shooting and 17 were wounded.

Michael Charles, a Long Island Rail Road spokesman, said today that the railroad had three incidents in which a passenger threatened an employee or other passengers since the shooting. The railroad also received a number of threatening calls over the past few weeks, he said. Threatening to Use Guns

None of the incidents resulted in any injury or fight, Mr. Charles said, and while each one involved men threatening to use guns, no firearms were ever displayed or recovered. In two cases, the men were apparently drunk and were charged with harassment. In the third, the man disappeared into Pennsylvania Station before the police could arrest him.

As a result of these incidents and concerns expressed by passengers, Mr. Charles said that the railroad on Monday assigned about 10 to 15 officers to patrol trains, a decision that was first reported in Newsday. The railroad declined to give the number of train patrols before the shooting.

Under the new system, officers will board 100 to 150 of the railroad's 700 trains on weekdays and 80 on weekends, and travel part of the routes. The officers have been reassigned from other details like narcotics and plainclothes investigations.

Danny Frank, a spokesman for the Long Island Rail Road Police Benevolent Association, called the action inadequate, saying that the railroad needed to more than double its 216-member force. 'Must Have Confidence'

"The answer is not taking people off one area and putting them somewhere else," he said. "Riders must have confidence that on at least one out of three trains there would be a police officer."

While the Long Island Rail Road is reviewing its security measures, Mr. Charles said such an increase in officers did not appear to be needed, as crimes reported against passengers fell by 23 percent in the first 10 months of 1993 from the same period in 1992, and the 1992 figures were 11 percent lower than those for 1991.

Beverly Dolinsky, executive director of the Long Island Rail Road Commuters Council, which represents passengers, supported the steps taken by the railroad. She said that a much larger increase in the number of patrols was not the answer.

The shooting was an "aberration," and it is unlikely that increased patrols could have prevented it, Ms. Dolinsky said. But she added that some highly visible patrols would be useful to boost commuter morale. "People are feeling very nervous, and a uniformed presence makes them feel better," she said. To Quell Concerns

Metro-North has also increased the number of officers on trains, largely to quell customer concerns.

Donna Evans, a railroad spokeswoman, said that after the shooting, officials decided to have a greater uniformed and plainclothes presence aboard the trains, and commuters have praised the decision. On one train, passengers thanked an officer with a standing ovation, she said.

"Our police chief felt that while the incident itself was virtually unpreventable and would likely not occur on our system or anywhere else, there was still a need to make people feel less fearful," Ms. Evans said.

Metro-North officials declined to release any details about the number or frequency of patrols. Officers are not assigned to the trains, but volunteer to do the patrols on overtime, the railroad officials said.

New Jersey Transit says it has not increased the number of police officers aboard its trains but has ordered several plainclothes officers who ride the cars to wear uniforms. And the agency has also posted uniformed officers on platforms, instead of leaving them on patrols in other parts of the station.

Armando Arrastia, a spokesman for New Jersey Transit, said, "The idea is really to make them more visible, and to remind people that they're there."

Photo: In response to the Dec. 7 shooting, the Long Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Commuter Railroad have assigned more officers to ride their trains. Some plainclothes officers have been asked to wear uniforms for visibility. Officer Arlene Doughty patrolled yesterday on the L.I.R.R. (Monica Almeida/The New York Times)